Detachable device for removing the need for bows and for blocking laces

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a detachable device for removing the need for bows and for blocking shoe laces, said device consisting of two parts held together, the first part ( 1 ), a so-called lace-stop, being flat, rigid, of any shape and comprising a minimum of six holes ( 2, 3, 4 ), and the second part being a cover ( 5 ) of a suitable shape and size so as to form a cavity ( 7 ) that can enclose the ends of the laces ( 8 ) between the inner wall of the cover ( 5 ) and the lace-stop ( 1 ), the base of the cover having a shape and size suitable for fitting to the lace-stop ( 1 ) and holding onto same by means of inner grooves ( 6 ) arranged on the edge of the cover. The device generally has a maximum total thickness of 10 mm when closed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a removable device for dispensing with the bow of shoelaces and for immobilising said laces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The current clothing fashion among young people, mainly teenagers and also some adults, is to wear lace-up shoes without tying a fastening bow on their shoes. The bow, being unattractive, is thus dispensed with and the untied laces are placed inside the shoes on each side to stop them from trailing on the ground.

This new fashion is, however, associated with the following drawbacks:

-   -   discomfort produced by the laces placed inside the shoes and the         possible resultant pain on the feet,     -   the shoe is too loose because it is undone and the foot is not         held correctly in place which may in particular result in a         twisted ankle,     -   the inconvenience of the laces possibly coming back out of the         shoes, which may furthermore cause the person to trip over the         dragging lace and fall.

In the light of the drawbacks brought about by this new clothing fashion, it thus seemed important to be able to provide a response to this problem of untied laces.

Numerous prior art documents are known, some of which have the object of firmly holding a bow which has already been tied in the laces. These documents are in particular:

-   -   patent application WO2012162737 which discloses a removable         device for holding shoelaces made up of a flexible part into         which the two laces can be inserted and which holds the bow         inside with a decorative part held on top.     -   patent application U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,342 which discloses a         device for holding a shoelace bow and comprising a lower part         and a cover with a mechanism for connecting the two parts and so         holding the laces tied in a bow.

Another document relates to a complex device enabling attachment of the laces. Said document is patent application WO200812048 which discloses a removable device composed of three parts which are capable of preventing the shoelaces from coming undone and being inconvenient. The laces are inserted through two holes in a base part and the laces are attached in a space by the intermediate part which is covered by a decorative part. In addition to being complex, said device does not permit straightforward loosening of the laces.

Other prior art documents have the object of preventing children from undoing their laces. Mention may in particular be made of U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,352 which describes a device which makes it possible to prevent children from undoing their laces. The device in the form of a small box is easily inserted under the knot of the bow, the cover is closed and a security means allows the cover to be held in the closed position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Nothing in the prior art provides a response to the drawbacks brought about by laces pushed into the shoes, this being done to avoid tying the fastening bow (knot) for the shoelaces.

The present invention provides a solution to this problem of lace-up shoes for which some users do not wish to tie the fastening bows.

The inventor has developed a simple, inexpensive device which provides a solution to the stated problem discreetly on the shoes.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention firstly provides a removable device for immobilising and dispensing with the bow of shoelaces composed of two parts held together:

-   -   the first part or “lace-stop” (1) is flat, rigid and of any         shape and comprises a minimum of six (2n≥6, with n being an         integer from 3 to 5 or more) holes (2, 3, 4) through which the         end of the laces may be passed and fixed,     -   the second part, of the same size in width and length as the         lace-stop (1), is a cover (5) of any shape held on the lace-stop         (1) by internal grooves (6) located at the edge of the cover, or         in other words, as described in greater detail below, the second         part is a cover (5) of an appropriate shape and size to form a         cavity (7) capable of confining the end of the laces (8) between         the inner wall of the cover (5) and the lace-stop (1) and of an         appropriate shape and size at the bottom thereof to fit onto and         be held on the lace-stop (1) by internal grooves (6) located at         the edge of the cover.

The lace-stop may generally be of any shape (outline), for example oval, round, square, rectangular, polygonal or even irregular while the shape of the base of the cover is selected so as to fit with said shape and so be fitted on the lace-stop by the grooves. In other words, the opening formed by the base (edge) of the cover is of a substantially identical size to and is of an essentially complementary shape to the lace-stop. The cover itself may be essentially flat (with straight edges) or preferably be curved. The device generally has total closed thickness of at most 10 mm, preferably of at most 8 mm, more preferably of at most 6 mm.

The device according to the invention makes it possible to remedy the drawbacks of this new fashion trend in particular as follows:

-   -   the laces are no longer placed in the shoes but remain wound up         in the cover of the device for example over a length of         approximately 2 to 4 cm without spoiling the appearance of the         shoes.     -   the device permits adjustable tightening of the laces by passing         said laces into the holes.     -   there is no longer any risk of the laces coming back out of the         shoes since the ends thereof remain in the cover, so         additionally eliminating the problem of pain or falling due to         undone laces.

The advantages of the device according to the invention are in particular the following:

-   -   it fits perfectly with current trends and the aesthetic tastes         of young people.     -   it can be very easily and very quickly fitted to any kind of         lace-up shoes.     -   the length of the lace can be adjusted generally to a length of         2 to 4 cm at each end of the laces to allow for seasonal         variation.     -   it allows disabled people who have a hand they cannot use to put         on and take off their shoes easily.     -   the flat or curved cover may be provided with a design. It is         not very thick and can be printed or inlaid with a logo, a         brand, a decorative or commercial image, which is an undeniable         decorative and commercial asset.     -   the two parts are furthermore very straightforward to         manufacture and the cost of said device is low.

Unlike certain known devices, the present device therefore makes it possible entirely to enclose the ends of the laces, without having to tie a knot, it does not have a hinge and requires no pins fixed on the cover to grip the laces.

The following definitions apply in the present invention:

-   -   “rigid” the fact that the lace-stop part does no twist and keeps         its flat shape despite the tension caused by passing the laces         into the holes to hold and/or tighten the laces,     -   “held on the cover” the fact that the cover closes the lace-stop         part and remains connected therewith. “The two parts held         together” also means that the lace-stop part (1) and the cover         (5) form just one single part once the cover has been fitted         onto the lace-stop by pressure on the internal grooves (6) of         the cover.

The invention secondly provides a method for immobilising and dispensing with the bow of shoelaces, involving the use of one device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 per shoe, in which

-   -   each free end of the lace is passed successively (alternately)         through a first hole from a first side of the lace-stop towards         the second side, then through the second hole back towards the         first side, then through the third hole back towards the second         side, and     -   the cover is fitted onto the lace-stop so as to form the cavity         between the second side of the lace-stop (where the ends of the         laces are located) and the inside of the cover.

Where the number of holes is greater than six: (2n with n>3).

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The appended drawings illustrate the invention and are non-limiting embodiments of the subject matter thereof.

The FIG. 1 shows the lace-stop (1) and its cover (5). The two laces are shown as entering through orifice 2, then 3 and then 4 to remain enclosed in the cover. The ends of the laces are indicated 8 and the parts of the laces going towards the shoes are indicated 9. The groove 6 of the cover allows the edge of the lace-stop part 1 to be inserted into cover under simple finger pressure.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the device according to the invention, illustrating the manner in which the cover is fixed on the lace-stop part and the laces are held. The direction of insertion of the laces into the lace-stop part is illustrated by an arrow on a lace.

The size and shape of the lace-stop part (1) may differ in order to suit the various existing laces.

In the device according to the invention, the lace-stop part is flat and rigid and so makes it possible to hold the laces without their becoming loose. The minimum of six holes in the lace-stop part allow two laces to be passed through and so immobilised.

The lace-stop part must be sufficiently rigid not to deform under the pressure of the laces. To this end, it is composed of a rigid material such as, for example, aluminium or a rigid plastic, preferably a rigid plastic, the thickness of which is between 1 and 1.5 mm.

By way of non-limiting example, the dimensions of the lace-stop are 2 cm wide, 3 cm long and 1 mm thick.

The lace-stop part may comprise up to ten holes for holding the two laces. However, six holes is the preferred embodiment according to the invention insofar as the device will be of a reasonable length and the lace-stop part will have no tendency to twist under the pressure of the laces inserted into the holes or orifices.

The lace-stop part may be of any shape, in particular an oval, round, square or rectangular shape. In a preferred embodiment according to the invention, the lace-stop part is oval in shape.

The lace is stopped from moving by passing the end of the lace (8) firstly through the side orifice (2), then through a central orifice (3) and finally back through the second side orifice (4) so that the end of the lace (8) is located in the cavity (7). The lace is immobilised by pressing the lace-stop with one hand tightly against the last outlet eyelet (9) on the shoe and pulling the end of the lace (8) with the other hand.

After tightening, approximately 3 centimetres of lace will remain between the outlet orifice (4) of the lace-stop (1) and the end of the lace (8).

The 3 centimetres of lace between the outlet orifice (4) of the lace-stop (1) and the end of the lace (8) remain wound up and immobilised in the interior volume or cavity of the cover (7), confined between the inner wall of the cover (5) and the lace-stop (1).

To ensure that the laces stick out by no more than 4 cm, it is possible either to cut off the end of the laces, or to replace the original lace with a shorter lace, the aim being to have an end of the lace in the cavity which, after passing into the last hole of the lace-stop part, does not exceed a maximum of 4 cm in length.

The laces can be tightened and loosened simply by sliding the laces in the holes. This technique is simple, effective and quick.

The size and shape of the cover may vary firstly to fit to the shape of the lace-stop part. The cover may in particular be oval, round, square or rectangular in shape at the bottom thereof. In addition to the shape at the bottom thereof, the cover may have any shape, angular or round, any novelty and decorative shape, to form the cavity (7).

The cover will preferably be made of plastics material in order to allow the insertion of the grooves located at the edge of the cover on the lace-stop part. Any other flexible material allowing the insertion of the grooves on the lace-stop part may be used.

In one preferred embodiment according to the invention, the cover has the shape of a capsule, preferably oval in shape.

The height of the cover may vary for example from 3 to 10 mm. In one preferred embodiment, the cover has a height of 6 mm.

In the preferred device according to the invention, the lace-stop part (1) comprises six holes and the total thickness of the device is approximately 6 to 10 mm.

The device according to the invention is in particular intended for immobilising the laces by a tightening system involving passing the end of the laces into an odd number of at least three holes per lace and concealing them with a decorative cover.

Laces made of cotton or Nylon® are correctly stopped from moving in the device according to the invention. Once inserted into the holes or orifices of the lace-stop part, they do not slip and so make it possible to keep the shoes as closed as desired (loose or firmly tightened).

The holes immobilising the laces in the lace-stop part are of a size appropriate to the laces so the latter may be tightened and held. The size of the holes will preferably be just a little larger than the diameter of the laces so allowing the laces to pass through for the purposes of tightening without allowing them to slip. 

1. A removable device for immobilizing and dispensing with a bow of shoelaces composed of two parts held together, the device comprising: a lace-stop that is flat, rigid, of any shape, and comprises a minimum of six holes, a cover of an appropriate shape and size to form a cavity arranged to confine an end of the laces between an inner wall of the cover and the lace-stop and of an appropriate shape and size at a bottom thereof to fit onto and be held on the lace-stop by internal grooves located at an edge of the cover, wherein the device has a total closed thickness of at most 10 mm.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the lace-stop is composed of aluminum or plastic, the thickness of which is between 1 and 1.5 mm.
 3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the lace-stop comprises up to ten holes.
 4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the lace-stop is of an oval, round, square or rectangular shape.
 5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the cover is of a capsule shape.
 6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the total thickness thereof is 6 mm and the lace-stop comprises six holes.
 7. A method for immobilizing and dispensing with a bow of shoelaces, involving the use of one device according to claim 1 per shoe, the method comprising: passing each free end of the lace successively through a first hole from a first side of the lace-stop towards a second side, then through a second hole back towards the first side, then through a third hole back towards the second side, wherein the cover is fitted onto the lace-stop so as to form a cavity between the second side of the lace-stop and an inside of the cover. 